In his own words: Amb. Stevens diary revealed

Ambassador Chris Stevens' diary has surfaced. Initially discovered by CNN, but then (possibly at the request of the White House) relegated to a black hole by the Time Warner cable news operation, portions of the diary relating to professional matters have been published by Sofrep, a website focused on Special Operations Forces. The document looks genuine to me.

The incontestable conclusion is that Stevens was well aware of the threat he faced. Sofrep writes:

Written in the format of short hand notes, he wrote, "Militias the prime power on the ground. Weak state security institutions. As a result, dicey conditions."

More pressing for Stevens personally, he wrote "Islamist 'hit list' in Benghazi. Me targeted..."

Stevens' final entry:

"Never ending security threats..."

Sofrep:

We should have known. The US State Department should have taken proper precautions, before the attack ever happened, to ensure that American forces were prepared to respond on the anniversary of 9/11.

Sofrep presents its own theory as to the source of the Benghazi attack:

There is also the much-denied but ever-present issue of the Special Operations missions inside Libya in the run up to the attack.

At this point, there can be no doubt. (snip)

JSOC has run a fairly extensive targeted killing program inside Libya. In Eastern Libya, particularly, which is under militia control, all sorts of Gaddafi associates have been dropping dead, along with others who may be involved in unseemly activities. Interestingly, the tactics used in these assassinations are very similar to those used by JSOC during some of the worst days of the insurgency in Iraq.

There is no way for us to know if this is correct, but it seems very plausible to me.

It is important to focus on Stevens, so the release of his diary is a good thing. The low information public may not care about abstractions, but they do care about heroes and Stevens is clearly one. If his story would discomfit a Republican president, by now Hollywood would be producing a biopic glamorizing an already pretty glamorous guy. Handsome, smart, culturally sensitive, and reputed by some to have been discreetly gay - one can visualize a big budget HBO movie. If Valerie Plame can be glammed up and portrayed by Naomi Watts, Chris Stevens could rate the likes of Brad Pitt.

Of course, it will never happen.

Hat tip: Michael Geer

Ambassador Chris Stevens' diary has surfaced. Initially discovered by CNN, but then (possibly at the request of the White House) relegated to a black hole by the Time Warner cable news operation, portions of the diary relating to professional matters have been published by Sofrep, a website focused on Special Operations Forces. The document looks genuine to me.

The incontestable conclusion is that Stevens was well aware of the threat he faced. Sofrep writes:

Written in the format of short hand notes, he wrote, "Militias the prime power on the ground. Weak state security institutions. As a result, dicey conditions."

More pressing for Stevens personally, he wrote "Islamist 'hit list' in Benghazi. Me targeted..."

Stevens' final entry:

"Never ending security threats..."

Sofrep:

We should have known. The US State Department should have taken proper precautions, before the attack ever happened, to ensure that American forces were prepared to respond on the anniversary of 9/11.

Sofrep presents its own theory as to the source of the Benghazi attack:

There is also the much-denied but ever-present issue of the Special Operations missions inside Libya in the run up to the attack.

At this point, there can be no doubt. (snip)

JSOC has run a fairly extensive targeted killing program inside Libya. In Eastern Libya, particularly, which is under militia control, all sorts of Gaddafi associates have been dropping dead, along with others who may be involved in unseemly activities. Interestingly, the tactics used in these assassinations are very similar to those used by JSOC during some of the worst days of the insurgency in Iraq.

There is no way for us to know if this is correct, but it seems very plausible to me.

It is important to focus on Stevens, so the release of his diary is a good thing. The low information public may not care about abstractions, but they do care about heroes and Stevens is clearly one. If his story would discomfit a Republican president, by now Hollywood would be producing a biopic glamorizing an already pretty glamorous guy. Handsome, smart, culturally sensitive, and reputed by some to have been discreetly gay - one can visualize a big budget HBO movie. If Valerie Plame can be glammed up and portrayed by Naomi Watts, Chris Stevens could rate the likes of Brad Pitt.